


Playing doctor

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alaric is sick, Getting Together, M/M, and Damon is playing doctor, grumpy Alaric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 16:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8807818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: Alaric is sick and just wants some peace and quiet. What he definitely doesn’t want is an obnoxious vampire playing doctor.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about the crappy title. I just couldn’t find a better one. The idea itself was a prompt from one of my German readers.

Playing doctor  
   
Damon closed the door behind himself with a quiet click, looking around with narrowed eyes. The flat was a mess. The floor around the couch was littered with used tissues and other trash, empty water bottles and dirty dishes were piled on the low table. The TV was blaring some stupid soap opera. Not that Alaric noticed. He was lying on the couch, obviously asleep, judging by the snores. The vampire shook his head and went to put his bags down in the kitchenette.  
   
Then he switched off the TV, put the dishes in the sink and started collecting the trash. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw that Ric was shivering. No wonder, he was only wearing pajama-pants and a t-shirt. Shaking his head at the sight the vampire fetched a blanket from the bedroom, draping it over the sleeping form, before continuing to tidy the living room. Once he was done he went back to the kitchenette, unpacked the bags and went to work.  
   
A few minutes later a coughing fit woke Alaric up. Damon sped to his side and helped him sit up so he could breathe easier. Ric recoiled from his touch and stared at him in shock. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he gasped. Damon rolled his eyes. “Elena told me that you’re sick.“ he explained. Ric glared at him. “So what? You decided to stop by and see for yourself? Or are you here to make fun of me?“ he spat. His voice sounded rough and scratchy.  
   
“I’m hurt, Ric. Do you really think I’d do that?“ the vampire wanted to know, earning himself another dark look. “I’m not in the mood for your stupid games. What do you want?” Ric asked again. “Isn’t it obvious? Since you threw Elena out, I’m here to take over. I’m your sexy nurse, Ric.” Damon joked. Alaric was about to retort something nasty, but another coughing fit prevented him from getting any word out.  
   
The vampire waited for the coughing to subside. Then he rushed to the kitchenette, returning with a cup and a small bag. “Drink that. It’s tea. My mom made it for Stefan when he was sick as a child. And I went to the pharmacy for you. I got you cough syrup and pills for your throat and some other stuff.” Ric gave him a doubtful look, but took the bag without comment. “And drink your tea, before it gets cold.” Damon ordered before going back to the kitchenette.  
   
It didn’t take long until Ric followed him. “What are you doing?” he asked in annoyance. “Did you drink your tea?” the vampire answered with a question. “No, it’s disgusting.” the teacher grumbled. Damon was slowly starting to feel like he was dealing with a little kid. Had Stefan been that bad as a kid? Had he ever been that bad when he’d been sick? How had their mother put up with it?  
   
“Of course it’s disgusting. It’s medicine, Ric. But it helps. So drink it.“ But Ric stubbornly remained standing where he was, glaring at the pot on the stove. “I’m making chicken soup.” the vampire explained, causing the teacher to snort. “What, is that plan B? In case you don’t manage to poison me with the tea?“  
   
Damon took a deep breath, fighting the sudden urge to punch his friend. “If I wanted to kill you I wouldn’t go to the trouble of poisoning you. I’d just snap your neck. Not to forget the fact that your ring would bring you back anyway.” he grumbled. “If it comforts you, I got the recipe from vampire Barbie. She promised the stuff works wonders against a cold. And now drink your damn tea, before I feel the need to force it down your throat.”  
   
Alaric muttered a curse and went back to the couch, where he flopped down, staring at the cup darkly. Who did the fucking vampire think he was? Just barging into his flat and ordering him around. He should've never invited Damon in and right now he wondered why the hell he’d done it in the first place. He should have known that the guy would come and go as he pleased.  
   
Dejectedly he sipped the disgusting tea. But he only did that because he had no desire to go back to the kitchenette for a new bottle of water. Not because Damon had told him to. Switching on the TV he listlessly browsed through the channels. Maybe the vampire would leave if he simply ignored him. Damon hated being ignored. After another coughing fit Ric grabbed the bag from the pharmacy and took a pill and some cough syrup. Also not because Damon had told him to. He would’ve gone to the pharmacy today himself, had the vampire not shown up.  
   
When Damon entered the living room some time later, Ric ignored him like planned, pointedly staring at the TV screen, without even noticing what channel he had stopped at. The vampire however didn’t bat an eyelash and simply turned the TV off. “Hey, I wanted to watch that!” Alaric protested. “Really? A documentary about the Backstreet Boys?“ Damon pointed out. The teacher frowned in confusion, but he wasn’t ready to back down. “Yeah well… I need to know what my students always talk about.” he claimed, earning himself an eye roll from his friend. “No-one talks about the Backstreet Boys nowadays. Especially no teenager.” he pointed out, taking a step towards Alaric.  
   
“Open your mouth.” The teacher looked confused at the sudden command, but then he spied the thermometer in Damon’s hand. “Fuck off, Damon!” Stubbornly he crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head away. Why couldn’t Damon just leave him alone? He had a head-ache, his throat hurt from coughing, he was cold and he just wanted to sleep. “Fat chance, Ric. I’m not Elena. I won’t run out of here crying just because you act like a dick.“ Ric flinched. He actually felt a little bad, thinking about the nasty things he’d said to Elena yesterday. He hadn’t been fair. But on the other hand he hadn’t asked her to show up and attempt to play nurse.  
   
“You can either open your mouth or I’ll put the thermometer into a different opening. Your choice. The woman at the pharmacy told me all the places I can stick this thing to get your temperature.” Damon threatened. Alaric didn’t doubt the sincerity of the threat for a second. He opened his mouth, glaring at the vampire the whole time. Damon only grinned. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He put the thermometer into Ric’s mouth and glanced at his watch. “Okay, let me see.” he ordered a little while later, taking it back and reading the temperature. He then pulled a note out of his pocket and nodded. “Okay, you’ve only got a light fever. Nothing serious. That’s good.“  
   
Ric didn’t reply and the vampire sighed in defeat. Good, maybe he was finally giving up. Or not. “The soup is ready. Do you want to come to the kitchenette or should I bring you some?“ Damon asked, showing surprising patience. “I’m not hungry.” Alaric claimed, ignoring the fact that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. “I’ll bring you some.” Damon decided, acting like he hadn’t heard him. He went to the kitchenette and returned with a bowl of soup. “Eat or do you need me to spoon-feed you?”  
   
Grumbling Ric took the spoon and started eating. The soup was better than expected, but he didn’t say that. He simply ate in silence, trying his best to ignore Damon. Unfortunately Damon didn’t seem to mind today. He kept walking around the flat like he owned it and Ric could hear him bustling around. Probably snooping through his stuff.  
   
As soon as the teacher had finished his bowl of soup, Damon was back, pulling him off the couch, despite his protests. “Come on. Either you follow me or I’ll carry you.” he promised. Alaric gave in and allowed Damon to lead him to the bedroom. Where he noticed in surprise that the vampire had put fresh sheets on the bed and cleaned up. His dirty laundry was gone, just like the used tissues. He found a glass of water and a box of tissues on his nightstand. “Lie down. The woman at the pharmacy said something about bed rest.”  
   
“But that doesn’t mean…” Ric started complaining, only to be cut off by Damon pushing him onto the bed. “Stop bitching and get some sleep.” The teacher muttered a few curses, knowing full well that Damon could understand every word, but gave in. That it was only early evening didn’t seem to bother Damon. He waited until Ric had pulled the covers over himself. Then he switched off the light and left.  
   
***  
   
Obviously he had fallen asleep after all, because when Alaric opened his eyes again it was dark. He glanced at the clock and noticed that it was almost midnight. His shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging to his body uncomfortably and he was wracked by another coughing fit, which left him breathless. Once he’d gotten his breath back he grabbed the glass of water from his nightstand, gulping it down. Then he got up and took the sweaty shirt off.  
   
Barefoot and wearing only his pajama pants he walked to the bathroom. “Are you nuts, running around half-naked? You’ll catch your death!” a voice shouted at him when he left the bathroom again. Ric jumped in shock. “You’re still here.” he groaned in annoyance. “Of course I’m still here. And you are going to put on a shirt and go back to bed. Right now.” Damon ordered. Rolling his eyes the teacher walked back to his bedroom, noting with growing frustration that Damon followed him. “Get the hell out of here, Damon! Or do you want to tuck me in now?” Ric snapped.  
   
He got a new t-shirt from the wardrobe, pulling it on. With a sigh of relief he noticed that Damon had really left. But when he was just crawling into bed the vampire returned. “Here, take your cough syrup. And I made another cup of tea.” Alaric rolled his eyes. “What are you playing at, Damon? Did you suddenly turn into mother Theresa?“ Damon didn’t reply. He simply held the bottle of cough syrup out to him, until Alaric relented and took it.  
   
“Elena said someone needs to take care of you. So you’ll get better. Otherwise you’re going to get pneumonia and people die from that.” Damon finally mumbled, without looking at him. “Elena is exaggerating. It’s just a cold.“ Ric grumbled. When the vampire didn’t say anything, he added: “Why don’t you just leave and when Elena asks, I’ll tell her you took care of me the whole time, okay?” Damon gave an angry snort and snapped: “You just don’t get it!”  
   
The teacher was about to reply, when slowly understanding dawned. “You’re not here because Elena sent you. You’re worried about me.” Which was totally ridiculous of course, but still the only thing that made sense. Damon nodded. “But.. why? You don’t care about other people. You only care about Elena.“ Okay, they were friends. Best friends, actually. But usually that only meant getting drunk and hunting monsters together. Mostly to protect Elena. That Damon was suddenly taking care of him just didn’t make sense. But the vampire didn’t offer an explanation. He only looked at him strangely before rushing out of the room.  
   
Alaric leaned back against the cushions, sipping his tea. He grimaced at the taste, but emptied the whole cup, while his thoughts were still on their conversation. Damon’s behavior was strange. Even stranger than usual. He should have given up trying to decipher the vampire’s motives by now. He just didn’t get Damon. But Ric had never seen him act this protective and caring. Not even towards Elena. What the hell did that mean? Still pondering that question, Ric finally fell asleep again.  
   
***  
   
He got up late next morning to find Damon in the kitchen, making breakfast and another cup of that disgusting tea. After breakfast Alaric went to the bathroom to freshen up, before pulling on sweatpants and a new shirt. Damon tried to send him back to bed, resulting in a shouting match about the meaning of bed rest, that left Ric’s throat even more sore than it already was. But in the end Damon gave in and grudgingly allowed him to lie down on the couch, bundled up in blankets. They spent most of the day watching TV, with Damon fussing over him and playing mother hen and annoying Ric to no end.  
   
He had no idea what had gotten into the vampire. But although he tried really hard to just ignore Damon (at least when he wasn’t busy glaring or shouting at him) he couldn’t help but notice how worried Damon looked when he had another coughing fit or shuddered with cold. The dark-haired vampire was really concerned. Alaric’s bad mood and continued grumbling did nothing to stop him from fussing over the teacher. In the evening he took Alaric’s temperature again, declaring with open relief that the fever was down. The coughing fits had gotten fewer as well.  
   
After another bowl of chicken soup and yet another cup of tea Ric allowed Damon to herd him towards the bedroom. Damon’s presence was grating on his nerves and he still wondered why the vampire was here. Okay, during the day he had come up with a theory, but it was just too absurd and he tried to push the thought aside. There had to be another explanation for Damon’s untypical behavior.  
   
***  
   
On the next day Alaric felt a lot better. The headache was gone, his throat didn’t hurt anymore either and he could breathe normally. The coughing had lessened as well. Like the day before he found Damon in the kitchen, making breakfast. The vampire had obviously spent another night on his couch. Once again those unbidden thoughts crept up on Ric, but he tried to dismiss them. He also felt a bit bad for the way he had treated Damon and wondered if he should apologize.  
   
“Thanks. For breakfast and… everything.” he mumbled. He expected the vampire to make fun of him or answer with a sarcastic comment, but Damon only shrugged it off and avoided eye contact. “You should lie down again.” The teacher rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Damon. I only coughed two times so far and the other symptoms are gone.” he assured.  
   
“But still… you should take it easy. You don’t want to have a relapse.” Damon insisted, looking at him again. “That’s not gonna happen. I don’t want to just lie around for another day.“ Alaric whined. He felt too well for that. And he also wouldn’t survive another day of Damon taking care of him and not leaving his side. “The woman at the pharmacy said bed rest for a few days.” the vampire reminded. “And I already told you yesterday that bed rest isn’t meant literally. What the hell should I do in bed all day?”  
   
For a second a strange look crossed Damon’s features, before he schooled his face to look impassive. But Ric had seen it. Had seen what the vampire had thought of and it fired his theory. Their eyes met and he knew that Damon was aware that he’d seen it. He seemed strangely unsure of himself. “Why are you doing all this?” the teacher asked hesitantly. The vampire shrugged. “Well, you’re… my friend. And… if something happens to you, I have no one to drink with. And no one to help me hunt down evil vampires and stuff. And… you don’t really think I want to take care of the kids all on my own?” he babbled excuses without looking at Alaric.  
   
The teacher swallowed hard. If he was honest with himself he had to admit that every evidence pointed to the fact that Damon felt more for him than he’d thought. But still he was scared of making assumptions and being proven wrong. Because the main reason why he’d been snapping at Damon those last few days was the fact that the vampire’s closeness was too much for him. It made him feel things he shouldn’t feel for his best friend. He had tried to ignore those feelings for weeks now, afraid of losing Damon. But they were getting harder and harder to ignore. And Damon taking care of him with such patience and obvious concern didn’t help matters.  
   
He risked a glance at the vampire, who looked just as insecure and unsure as he felt right now. It was a strange sight. Damon was never unsure about anything. At least he never showed it. Maybe it was this uncharacteristic shyness and vulnerability that finally gave Alaric the courage to take the chance. He took a step towards Damon and lifted his hand, gently caressing the vampire’s cheek. Damon stared at him, eyes shining with a mixture of shock and hope. He didn’t pull away when the teacher leaned in and their lips met.  
   
Damon sighed and deepened the kiss, pressing himself closer to Alaric, who breathed a sigh of relief and pulled him in. When they broke apart the vampire was smiling, true happiness radiating from him. He looked relieved and a little dazed, making Ric’s heart beat faster. “You know, maybe we should listen to the woman from the pharmacy after all.” Ric mused. The vampire looked at him questioningly, not understanding what he was hinting at, so he explained: “Bed rest, remember?” At this Damon’s smile turned slightly predatory. “Yeah, we definitely should.”


End file.
